


Whatever Happened to Harry Potter?

by JoeMerl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternative Perspective, Canon Compliant, Gen, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeMerl/pseuds/JoeMerl
Summary: In which the other residents of Privet Drive are not as stupid as the Dursleys seem to think.
Relationships: Arabella Figg & Dursley Family, Arabella Figg & Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley & Harry Potter, Dursley Family & Harry Potter, Harry Potter & Original Muggle Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Petunia Evans Dursley & Harry Potter, Vernon Dursley & Harry Potter, but only a tiny bit on the side.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 125





	Whatever Happened to Harry Potter?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Fanfiction.net on July 19, 2017. It was going to be part of "100 Words of the Wizarding World," but it didn't quite fit the prompt.

Sometimes I wonder whatever happened to that Harry Potter boy.

He lived with the Dursley family—nastiest bunch of blighters I've ever met, let me tell you. Their son Dudley was a spoiled little monster, ran around the neighborhood beating up all the younger kids—Harry was their nephew, I think, and nobody wanted to be his friend. They were afraid of Dudley, and from what I hear both Vernon and Petunia Dursley were horrible to anyone Harry even tried to invite over. A lot of parents told their children not to associate with them anyway.

Around the time he started secondary school Harry practically disappeared—the Dursleys claimed that he was off at St. Someone's School for Incurably Dangerous Children, or some such nonsense. (I mean, _really,_ could they have come up with anything faker?) I'm rather partial to Mrs. Williams' response, when Petunia Dursley first mentioned this to her. "Oh," she said sweetly, "and when will Dudley be joining him?" Ha, I'm laughing now just remembering the look on Petunia's face!

Old Mrs. Figg was pretty much the only person in the neighborhood who seemed to like the Dursleys even a little; she looked after Harry whenever they went on trips without him. (They _never_ took Harry on trips, as far as I could tell. Lovely people, aren't they?) She assured me once that Harry was actually going to a very nice public school up in Scotland, paid for by friends of his deceased parents. _I_ suggested that these friends should sue the Dursleys for custody. She laughed and said that they would have, but circumstances wouldn't allow it.

That first summer when Harry was back, Vernon Dursley actually put bars and the boy's window. _Bars,_ like in a jail, can you believe it? Didn't see Harry at all after that. I told Mrs. Figg that I was thinking of calling the Children and Family Court on them. She said that I really shouldn't, because Harry was actually off visiting friends for the summer, and anyway those bars were actually there because somebody had broken into Harry's bedroom one night. She seemed very adamant that Harry was better off with family than in a foster home, but I have to say, I still considered calling. To be fair, Harry finally showed up again the following summer, and he seemed fine, spent a lot of time outside, so I suppose that the Dursleys at least weren't keeping him prisoner.

I haven't seen the poor boy at all since the Dursleys got back from their year-long trip to Bermuda or Borneo or wherever they apparently went. Mrs. Figg mentioned once that he had his own flat in London now, and was working as a policeman. She even showed me a picture of him with a pretty young girlfriend. One of these days I should ask if she's still in contact with him. I like to think that he finally found a bit of happiness after that positively dreadful upbringing.


End file.
